Smother
by Paper Lilly Webs
Summary: "I think I'd like to fly." Genderbent but not much as changed, T for language and vague trigger warnings, very mild angst.


**A/N**: I've actually had this up on my tumblr for a while, and totally forgot to post it here, so, uh. Genderbent Karkat and Dave (not much has changed). Suicide is only mentioned and Dove is too worrisome.

I have a _Runners_ update coming soon, so my apologies for how late that is!

This is for a good friend of mine.

~Webs

* * *

"I think I'd like to fly." It was such a simple statement, so easy to overlook as a child's fantasy. Dove knew otherwise, knowing Karkat this long; there's always more to what the smaller girl means.

"Huh." She had cocked her head at her best friend, looking quizzically at her to try and understand what she could possibly mean. "You aren't, like, scared?" It was Karkat's turn to look confused, sitting up from her place where the two girls are seated on the Vantas' couch.

"Why would I be scared?" Dove shrugged, sitting up as well, pulling her feet into a crisscross.

"Well, aren't most people afraid of heights?"

"I don't know, but I know I'm not. I think it'd be exhilarating." Karkat had flopped onto her back, looking up at the ceiling and holding a pillow to her chest.

"So, you wanna be a bird?" Karkat shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so." Dove shuddered at this, shaking her head so the tuft of blonde hair at the base of her neck bounced.

"Why would you ever want to be something like that? Birds are disgusting." Karkat snorted, rolling her eyes. "What? They are, and I can't believe you argue with me about this."

"I think they're pretty, and pretty lucky. I mean, Dove, just think about it: flying. Take a long, hard thought about this," she say seriously, sitting back up onto her knees and taking Dove's cheeks in her hands to smoosh them. "Your name is a bird." Dove wrinkles her nose as Karkat squishes her cheeks to make a fish face.

"You think I like that?"

"Well, you should. Doves are pretty." Dove huffs and looks away, crossing her arms over her chest as Karkat releases her.

"I don't want to be pretty." Karkat rolls her eyes, flopping back onto the bed.

"Then what do you want to be? Handsome?"

"I don't know, maybe?!" She grabs a pillow and tries to smother her friend, who giggles out a squeal and squirms away.

* * *

"I think I'd like to fly," Karkat whispers the night before SATs, chin resting on her crossed arms, where she sits at Dove's desk with three text books open under her arms.

"Why do you mean?" Dove chews the end of her pencil, not looking up from her notes as she cotinues to try and concentrate.

"Like, wouldn't it be the easiest way to leave all of this shit behind?" At that, Dove raises her head and frowns in concern.

"Karkat, are you alright?" She huffs and looks away, tucking her nose into her arms.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she mumbles vaguely, shrugging. Dove only frowns more and gets up to her feet, padding over to Karkat and nudging her gently.

"Karkat, babe, you gotta talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about. It was just a statement."

"A concerning one. You're not, like, suicidal, are you?" Karkat shrugs away Dove's hand, glaring at her.

"No, I'm not!" Dove still frowns and hops up onto the desk next to her.

"Then tell me what you mean."

"You're telling me you never want to just get away from all of this?"

"You mean like run away? Karkat, we have a year of school left." Karkat looks away again.

"I know, but you don't feel crushed all of the time?"

"No, I don't." At Karkat's sigh, Dove pulls her into a hug and smothers her face in her chest.

* * *

"I think I'd like to fly." Dove watches Karkat from across the room, watching the other woman throwing a small red ball up and down from where she lays out on Dove's apartment floor. Dove ticked off another mental talley of concern for Karkat, staying silent this time to wait for her to explain. "I mean, shit, don't you ever wish you could just jump off of something and not come back down?"

"I dunno, that sounds pretty scary."

"Dove, you lived on the thirtieth floor for eighteen years." She tilts her head back to look at her.

"Your point?" Karkat sighs and looks back away, tossing the ball in the air again.

"I don't want to kill myself, Dove."

"I didn't say you we're."

"You were thinking it."

"Can you blame me?" Dove sits up and moves to join Karkat on the floor. "You freak me out when you talk like that."

"It's only a passing fancy," she grumbles.

"That you've been thinking about since you were eight."

"Okay, but who doesn't want to fly?"

"I don't."

"Well, you're weird." Dove sighs, leaning down to smother her in gentle kisses.

* * *

"Do you still want to fly?" Karkat looks up from her meal of baked beans and mac 'n'cheese, frowning up at her girlfriend who stands in the doorway with a covered package in her hands.

"Yeah, I guess so…" she says cautiously, slowly setting down her fork with a confused expression. "Why do you ask?"

"I tried to get a helicopter ride, but I couldn't afford it. I tried getting tickets for skydiving, but again, too expensive." Karkat frowns more and moves her feet around to face Dove better.

"Dove, where are you going with this?" The blonde ignores her as she continues, walking into the room with the package.

"So, I looked for anything I could actually afford, and I got you this." She sets the package on the table. "Oh, and this." Dove puts a small video camera on top of the package. Karkat sends her a confused look, before eyeing the package warily and getting to her feet to open it. Searching through the paper, she pulls out a small wire cage, housing a twittering pigeon that tilts their head to watch Karkat.

Karkat looks from Dove to the bed and back again quickly. "What's this?"

"A homing pigeon?" she responds almost sheepishly, shuffling her feet and pressing a quick kiss to Karkat's temple. "I thought you could attach the camera to it and send it out so you could… watch it fly, I guess." Karkat bites her lip and turns to Dove completely, who looks nervous as all hell, until Karkat starts attacking her face with kisses.

She makes a squealing sound and tries to duck away from Karkat, but Karkat pulls her back and presses an earnest kiss to her lips. "You're such a fucking dork." Karkat smiles and turns back to the table, picking up the camera to inspect it.

Dove grins and comes up behind her to wrap her arms around her waist. "I think they said her name was Sophia," she mumbles against Karkat's neck.

"Mm, boring. Do you think I can change it?" Dove snorts.

"I'm honestly not sure. It might be that after training them, you can't change their name. I can go back and ask tomorrow, 'Kay?" She kisses at her shoulder.

"This is really sweet, Dove. I'm really flattered, you have no idea." Karkat tilts her head around and kisses under her chin.

"I dunno, you could try and make me see…" she mumbles huskily, turning the girl in her arms around to press her against the table.

"You're really going to subject Sophia to watching what you're going to do to me?" Karkat laughs, playing with Dove's hair.

"Pigeons can't remember well, doofus."

"Then how do they know where to return home to?" Dove opens her mouth, then closes it.

"Cheeky bitch. You'll pay for your insolence." She starts tickling Karkat relentlessly, smothering her giggles with her lips pressed against her mouth.


End file.
